Thursday, December 23, 2010

Underappreciated Albums That Rocked 2010

Hey, in 2010 music got some of its wrath back. Thanks entirely to my relentless push for relentless, the music world picked up the pace and the delicacy declined, the preciousness plummeted and the hush got hammered!
Of course my work here in the dark is never done. Wherever there's a band who throw their everything into their music to minimal recognition, I'll be there, yellin'. Wherever some slackasses are getting praised for their cheekbones, I'll be there, spittn' nails. I'll be in the way the critics yell when they're mad - I'll be in the way fans laugh when they're find something new but old under the sun. An' where flesh and blood people are making music for themselves and those around them, I'll be there too.

So, in that slightly Steinbeckish spirit, here is my list of sixteen albums by artists that didn't get to live off that fatta the lan' this year but maybe should have:

(All band name links go directly to MySpace for your listening pleasure.)

9) Chumbawamba: ABCDEFGWith the disco and the punk gone it's just the folk that remains.

10) David Dondero; Zero With a BulletThe Dylan-was-a-Punk album of the year.

11) Piney Gir: Jesus WeptSpaghetti-country-punk-gospel-pop born in a thunderstorm.

12) Gaslight AnthemAmerican SlangMade some of the Cool Lists but never got its rockin'due.

13) John Moreland: Things I Can't ControlBoth punk and country work best in a dingy bar-room, here's a band that could rock either room .

14) Young Evils: Enchanted ChapelNot a Mini-Pops Misfits but melodic indie-pop like Beat Happening with more pre-Beatles pop and less post-punk rock.

15) Cyanide PillsDeliriously retro bubble-punk, like The Dammed City Rollers!

16) Young Veins Take a VacationSure it's a mite ridiculous for the young alum's of Panic at the Disco! to make an album redolent of all things Beatles, Kinks and Beach Boys but it still a joyous work.

All that music listening and I still don't even recognize all the artists on the Big Name best-of-the-year lists! Like so many other list-compilers, I've only heard what broke through into my little bubble. So if you want to let your own bubble expand, thou mayest.

As Good 'Ol Charlie Brown requests below, some SUPPORT, in the form of comments that detail what made YOUR list of under-appreciated albums would be great.

YOu put up a lot of stuff I hadn't heard yet. One of the things that sucked is that ever since I moved up to Alaska my exposure to new music has gone downhill: therefore, I appreciate the list. SOme great stuff on here that I will definitely be buying.

One that I would add to it is Best Coast album. Great reverby 60's pop update. I really like it a lot. Especially "When I Am With You."

I really, really like the Steve Adamyk band...I FOught For The USA is a great song. Thanks for the heads up.

I must make my way through the other stuff as well.

Nick

P.S. I have always been into the wimpier side of punk myself. I remember when I first got into punk (before I found it) I liked thrash metal (this was in the late 80's)- especially the aggression and loud guitars, but I was missing the hooks. I also loved 60's pop (and still do), and thought how great it would be if thrash metal and 60's pop combined.....and then I discovered bands like The Descendents and The Hard-Ons. So yeah, I like the wimpier side of punk myself.

Great list. Some stuff i've been enjoying all year, Young Veins, Cyanide Pills, and some stuff here that i'm just discovering today like Mother's Children and Sugar Stems, so looks like I'm still gettin' Christmas presents.

It's a beautiful thing to hear the ghosts of rock & roll past (The Kinks, Soul Asylum, 77' thru 80' power pop/punk, etc.) haunt Christmas 2010. So far I only own The Young Veins but Cyanide Pills and John Moreland look like they may be fixin' to make it into my collection.

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